


Secrets We Keep

by Aki_Kaminari



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Everyone Has Issues, Lack of Communication, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-06-29 13:11:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15730074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aki_Kaminari/pseuds/Aki_Kaminari
Summary: It's normal for people in the entertainment industry to have things they keep to themselves.But it's also human nature to be curious about something unknown.Especially between people who have been working together for over half a decade.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 【SPOILER WARNING】
> 
> The primary setting for this work relies heavily on events taking place all the way through the end of part 3. If you have not finished playing through part 3 all the way, you will eventually run into heavy spoilers. Though this is meant to be a Re:vale-centric fic, I can't promise that they will be the only ones with spoilers.
> 
> It also contains content from the Re:member novels, though at the time of writing this, only Banri and Yuki's chapters have been released. I don't have an estimate as to how long this fic will go on for, so in the event that Momo's chapters are released while this is still in progress, there may be changes here and there so as to not contradict canon.
> 
> Please proceed with caution if you want to experience any of the above firsthand. If you choose to continue, I will not be held responsible for spoiling anyone.
> 
> That being said, a multi-chapter fic has been something I've wanted to do for ages. i7 has awakened a passion in me for writing that I haven't felt in a long time. Because of the love that I can feel from both the staff and the fans, it makes me want to express my own gratitude. And this is the shape that it has taken.

  


* * *

Yuki had noticed something peculiar shortly after he and Momo had made a new Re:vale.  From the start, Momo had always tried to be upbeat for the both of them, but there were certain days when he was even more full of joy.

Sometimes Yuki asked about it.  Usually something good had happened at one of Momo's part-time jobs or it was some relative or friend’s birthday.  Once they started rising to the top of the idol industry, Momo would remember all of the days that became milestones for them.  Like the day Yuki completed the demo for their debut song. Or the day when they appeared on TV for the first time. Yuki had looked at him incredulously when Momo had marked the anniversary of their first fight. "It's because thanks to that, I can celebrate the first time we made up!" Momo had said.

Momo seemed to just love celebrating in general.  He would grin from ear to ear when Yuki asked about these things and babble on about them with enthusiasm.

All except for one day.

  


* * *

## The First Year

### —Re:new—

* * *

  


Yuki had awoken not to the sound of his alarm or Momo shaking him awake after sleeping through said alarm.  It wasn't even the noisy pair of birds that had decided to build a nest outside the window. Instead, it was a hissing and crackling coming from the kitchen of the tiny apartment they shared.  When Yuki was conscious enough to go over and peek, he wobbled into the kitchen while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He could see that Momo had a handkerchief tied over his unruly black hair and was humming while stirring something around in a frying pan.  Yuki blinked. They'd been having nothing but rice and miso lately, but neither of those required a frying pan. Unless their rice cooker had broken. That would be just _great_ , Yuki thought sarcastically.  But Yuki looked over to the counter and could see steam coming from the rice cooker too, so that couldn't be it.  Not quite understanding the situation as his mind was still half asleep, Yuki simply leaned against the doorway and watched.

When Momo turned to scoop some hot rice into a bowl, he nearly dropped it.  “Yuki-san! You're up early today! Isn't this a new record!?”

A grunt that vaguely implied confusion escaped Yuki's throat.  The days had been blending together lately. He hadn't even bothered to check what time it was, let alone the day.  Not knowing what else to do, Yuki shrugged. Just because he was standing up didn't mean he was entirely awake yet.

Momo, on the other hand, was bouncing up and down on his toes.  Yuki couldn’t quite tell if he was nervous or just excited.  “Hehe, you're handsome even when you're not saying anything!” Momo gushed.

“...Is that so?” Yuki had basically just rolled out of bed. He hadn't even bothered to wash his face yet let alone do any kind of care routine. He probably had bed head.  “Anyway. What are you doing?”

Momo chewed on his bottom lip.  “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but you woke up before I finished.  That's okay though. Sit down, I'm almost done. We can eat it together.”

Grabbing a cushion, Yuki knelt down at the low table. The clattering cooking utensils mixed with the muffled sounds of the other tenants in the building going about starting their days. A few minutes later, two portions of hot food were set on the table.  Yuki eyed the fried vegetables curiously. “Isn't this more than usual?”

Momo plopped down on the floor across from Yuki.  “It's okay to splurge a little once in a while. I'll just put in an extra hour or two!”

He said it so nonchalantly, Yuki thought, as if he wasn't already pushing himself with multiple part-time jobs as well as lessons with Okazaki Productions.  Thinking of that brought something to the forefront of Yuki's thoughts. “Didn't you get home late last night? How do you have this much energy?”

Momo's grin was comparable to the sun.  “Momo-chan is always full of energy!” he said in his best stage voice, though he looked a little embarrassed about using it in private.  It made Yuki smile anyway. Momo shoved a good amount of rice into his mouth and it was impressive that he didn't choke. “You've also been up late composing, so I'll do my best to have energy for the both of us!”

A complicated feeling settled in Yuki's chest.  Momo hadn't said anything about the crumpled papers lining the trash or the half-finished pages with portions aggressively crossed out or smudged too badly from an eraser to be legible.  In these few months that they had been working together, they'd been relying on some of Yuki's works-in-progress from before the accident to practice with. But there were only so many of those to fall back on.  Yuki had to start making new songs from scratch again, or else Re:vale would be left at a standstill.

It was all he could do.

He'd tried working a few jobs with Momo, but somehow he always seemed to end up causing trouble.  Back when he was with Ban, he honestly hadn't cared all that much about anything that wasn't related to music.  He hadn't realized how much Ban must have been doing so that he could live that kind of life.

But even though Momo always put on a happy face, Yuki could see how tired he was. It showed in the discoloration on the skin under those otherwise bright eyes. Or in the way his steps occasionally lagged behind during lessons even though he was giving his best effort. Momo was often gone until long after night had fallen, and didn't even bother to change out of his work clothes before collapsing onto the futon.

Yuki hadn't even been able to cook for him.  He could barely stand to look at a knife without his mind being hit with a barrage of images of broken glass and bent metal stained with Banri's blood.

Even so, Momo was always praising him for things.  Yuki only hoped that someday he'd be able to live up to those words.  It wasn't exactly that he had low self-esteem. He knew that he had talent.  But seeing Momo always giving his all to keep both of their heads above water even when Yuki was in a slump with his music made Yuki want to do his best too.  Especially in moments like this, when Momo was happily munching away at breakfast, seemingly without a care in the world. Yuki wanted to give Momo a proper reason to smile that much.

“Are you okay?” Momo asked.  “Does it taste bad?”

Yuki hadn't noticed that he had paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth.  He shook his head. “No, it's not that. I got lost in my thoughts.” The tense line of Momo's shoulders eased.  Yuki chewed on a piece of bell pepper. There was a little more of whatever sauce Momo had used than he would have added himself, but the variety in flavor for a change filled his taste buds with joy.  “You really are happy today. Did something good happen?” A small smile pulled at the corners of Yuki's lips. He was prepared for Momo to go off on a tale about a coworker or ten that he had been getting along with.

Instead, Momo's eyes glinted with something that Yuki couldn't identify, and he lifted an index finger to his lips.  “It's a secret.”

Not expecting to be answered in so few words, Yuki blinked.  Usually Momo was all too happy to share. This was new. Was Momo pranking him?  Or maybe it was something Momo didn't think he could talk about? But he definitely wasn't giving off the impression that it was something bad…

Though Yuki's brows had drawn together in thought, they abruptly raised up and disappeared beneath his bangs.  “Momo-kun, don't tell me…”

Startled by the sudden intensity of Yuki's gaze, Momo gulped and tried not to squirm.  “Tell you what?”

As the seconds ticked by, Yuki watched Momo's cheeks turn pink.  “You got a girlfriend?”

The peaceful atmosphere of their breakfast was broken when Momo's forehead collided with the table in exasperation.  Yuki was about to ask if he was okay, but Momo sat back up with an amazing speed just as Yuki was opening his mouth. “No!!  In the first place, we're idols! Once everyone recognizes how amazing your songs are, there's no way I could do things like that.  It'll cause a scandal!” Momo's voice seemed to get higher and faster with every word. But for a moment, he stopped. Cheeks dusted pink, he muttered softly, “It's much more important than anything like that.”

“What was that?”

“Anyway!” Momo exclaimed.  Yuki was taken aback by the volume.  “I've been able to see Yuki-san’s face every day, so I don't think my heart would last if I had a girlfriend at the same time!”

Yuki snorted, though he was happy about the compliment.  “Not even if she had huge boobs?” Yuki raised his hands to his chest and gestured in a circular motion.

“Yuki-san!”  Momo sounded mortified.

Now Yuki was laughing.  Momo had returned his head to the table.  He was red all the way up to his ears. Yuki proceeded to act like nothing had happened and continued to munch on his breakfast.  Momo’s “overheats” (as Yuki had decided to call them) happened often enough that Yuki had just accepted them as part of normal interaction with Momo.  “If you're not going to finish that, it'll go to waste.” He gestured to Momo's share.

Grumbling as he sat up, face still red, Momo picked up his chopsticks and shoved food into his mouth like a starving man.  By the time he calmed down enough to slow down, there was barely any left. Once the last few bites disappeared, he sighed contentedly and gave his full stomach a pat.  Yuki was still eating. Momo wished he could stay until they were both finished.

“I have to get to work.  The boss for this job is super strict about being on schedule,” Momo said.  He made a move to pick up his dishes, but Yuki held up a hand to stop him.

“I'll clean up here once I'm done,” Yuki said.  “Maybe you'll get on that guy's good side if you're there five minutes early.”

“That's true!” Momo admitted, though he did still look guilty for leaving Yuki to clean up the mess.  He apologized, but Yuki was having none of it and shooed him out of the room. Momo gave up and slipped his work shoes on and shouted a goodbye to Yuki from the entryway.

The door closed behind Momo and there was an audible click from the lock a couple seconds later.  Yuki spent a few more minutes finishing breakfast. He poked at a single grain of rice that had become stuck to the bottom of the bowl.  Yuki could hear a neighbor's alarm through the floor. It made an ungodly amalgamation of beeping and buzzing that was characteristic of many alarm clocks from a decade or so ago. Yuki grimaced at the thought of being in the same room and having his ears exposed directly to that. It definitely got its job done, but it could probably wake the dead with that awful noise.

Before he could sink any deeper into the void of his thoughts (or rather, the absence of them), a sudden thunk from the kitchen made him whirl his head around.  The plastic measuring cup for the rice cooker had fallen from the counter. Yuki rolled his eyes at it. But he took the hint and stretched before he gathered up the dishes.  As he filled the sink with soapy water, he noticed that Momo must have already put away whatever he had used to chop the vegetables. Yuki bit his tongue to distract himself from the prickling in his eyes.

Once they were able to officially debut, Yuki swore he would give Momo some time to rest.  So that happy days like this wouldn't be wasted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a big thank you to the wonderful response to the opening chapter! I hope to continue to make this story worth everyone's time.  
> I was initially conflicted on whether to put this chapter as the second one, but I went for it. I decided it was important to establish the past/present shifting in the timeline early on, as well as set up the groundwork for connecting with Part 3 of the main story and the continuation of that after the flashback chapters are complete.  
> It's my first time writing some of our main boys, so I'm eager to hear how they measure up to their canon counterparts. I want to improve in any way I can, so please don't hesitate with any suggestions.

  


* * *

## 

HiNDSiGHT

* * *

  


One by one, each member of IDOLiSH7 filed into one of Takanashi Productions' meeting rooms. Tamaki immediately dove down onto one of the couches. The springs creaked and bounced with the sudden weight. Sougo calmly sat on the other end while telling him to not put his feet up.

Yamato plopped down in an armchair with a relaxed sigh. Tsumugi was already seated on the other couch with her laptop in front of her on the coffee table, and Nagi had run over to her to wax poetic lines about how much joy it brought him to be in her presence. Mitsuki dragged him away by one of his ears, much to Nagi's protest.

Iori stood next to Banri, who was leaning against the armrest of the couch Tsumugi was seated at. Riku looked around curiously. “Whenever we're all in here together, it kinda feels like we're in the dorms! What did you want to talk about, Manager?”

Tsumugi straightened up in her seat and cleared her throat. “IDOLiSH7's website has been getting many more visitors since the collaboration for the grand reopening at Zero Arena, as well as the recent Twelve Fantasia tour,” she explained. “With the increase in viewers in mind, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give the website a bit of a facelift.”

“Are you asking for our permission? Sure.” Tamaki interjected.

“She doesn't need our approval to make changes to the website,” Sougo said. He looked to Tsumugi. “But is there anything we can do to help you, Manager?”

Seeing the opportunity to continue, Tsumugi spoke. “That's exactly the reason I called all of you in here today.”

“Huh?” Mitsuki said, perplexed. “But the seven of us don't know anything about web design…”

“Untrue!” Nagi piped up. “I have accumulated vast experience from creating a Magical☆Kokona fansite! Manager, please feel free to use it as a reference.”

Tsumugi waved her arms in front of her, dismissing the page that Nagi had brought up on his phone at an impossible speed. “No, no, it's nothing involved like that. But I've put together a few different mockups for the homepage, and I wanted to know which one all of you like the best. Also, I'm considering further personalizing the elements of each of your profiles to fit with your images. So I thought it would be best to let you give some input of your own for how you want it to look.”

“ _Oh_ , that's a wonderful idea!” said Nagi, and his statement was met with several nods of agreement.

Yamato hummed. “Not bad. But Onii-san's fine with whatever. Ichi, pick for me.”

Though he tried to hide it, Iori bristled. “Why are you asking me?”

Realizing his slip, Yamato shrugged it off casually. “You have good attention to detail, so I thought you'd be good at it.”

Paying no mind to his groupmates' exchange, Riku asked a different question. “What kind of choices do we have?”

Tsumugi continued. “I was planning on having everyone decide on the homepage as a group first, and then working on your individual pages after that.” She turned the laptop around so the rest of them could get a better look. The screen was split into four different windows. One was the current website, and the other three were possible choices.

Banri, who had been quiet up until this point, pulled out a second laptop. “Once all of you agree on a design, I'll help with your own sections too. It'll go much faster with two groups.”

Leaning over the table, Iori pointed at one of the windows. “This one seems to have the most organized layout.”

“Eeh, but that one's boring!” Riku objected. He pointed at the one next to it. “This one is way more fun!”

“Your choice relies too much on images. The top is cluttered and it could overwhelm newcomers who are unfamiliar with us.”

“If our wonderful Tsumugi designed all of these, then I am unable to choose only one of them,” Nagi declared dramatically.

With a hand brought up to his chin in thought, Sougo seemed conflicted. “They each seem to have their own strong points…”

Sensing that this was quickly descending into either chaos or a standstill, Yamato clapped his hands loudly, successfully getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Alright! We're not getting anywhere like this. Let's figure out an easier way to decide this. How about rock-paper-scissors?”

Though he had initially been hopeful, Iori's face fell at the last of Yamato's words. “Nikaidou-san, that completely defeats the purpose of deciding between them in the first place.”

Tamaki's hand went straight up in the air. “I'm up for that!” His eyes locked with Yamato's. They stared each other down for a moment. “One, two—”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“What good does it do if it's just the two of you playing!?” Mitsuki shouted.

“I shall join! Paper-rock-scissors!”

“That's not the problem here!” Mitsuki smacked Nagi upside the head, prompting an “ _ouch!_ ” from the tall man. “And it's ‘rock-paper-scissors!'”

“ _Oh!_ ” Nagi exclaimed. “Mitsuki, have you decided to play with us too?”

“ _No!_ ” Mitsuki shouted back.

Despite the fact that no actual work was getting done at this point, Tsumugi couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face. She had to bring a hand up to her mouth so she wouldn't laugh, and hoped no one had noticed. She soon realized how pointless that was when she glanced to the side and saw Banri stifling his own laughter. When their eyes met, he straightened up and tried to look serious, but there was mirth in his eyes that was obvious to anyone who looked.

“I'm glad that they can enjoy themselves like this,” he said, and Tsumugi agreed. Though their levels any varieties of experience with the industry were vastly different, their hearts swelled with the same pride.

It took some time and a few scoldings from the less impulsive members of the group for the ruckus to dissipate, but eventually they managed to get back on topic. They settled on the method of each picking the one they liked the most and why, even if some of the explanations were abstract, like “a feeling.” Iori, analytical as ever, carefully explained the strong and weak points of each theme.

After hearing Iori's explanation, Tamaki wondered why they couldn't just smush together all the good parts.

“Even if you put them together, the styles are too different. Instead of looking good, they would clash.”

When it was evident that he wasn't quite able to visualize it, Sougo tried. “Tamaki-kun, you liked the curry that Mitsuki-san made the other day, right?”

“Ooh, that was really good!”

Sougo smiled. “And of course, you love King Pudding.”

Tamaki jumped up from his seat excitedly. “Yeah!” He paused. “Sou-chan, you're making me hungry…”

The others watched as Sougo's shoulders visibly drooped, but he didn't stop trying. “We can eat later. That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is, you like both of those foods, right?” Tamaki gave a nod in response. “But you wouldn't mix them together to eat them, would you?”

A grimace appeared on Tamaki's face as he imagined the taste. “I think I get it now.”

The next few minutes were filled by chatter amongst them that nearly turned into a standstill again upon Nagi's dissatisfaction of becoming the tie-breaker. But eventually they had finally managed to settle on a single choice with some alterations.

Having anticipated some changes from the start, Tsumugi declared a snack break for everyone else while she made adjustments to the design. The subsequent crunching noises that surrounded here weren't as distracting as she thought they would be, so she was able to work fast.

“It's done!” Tsumugi exclaimed. “I'll still have to do some editing for the layout of the other sections, but the new homepage and the template for your individual profiles are finished.” She spun the laptop around on the table so the others could get a better look.

Nagi was the first to react. “ _Fantastic!_ ”

Riku, Mitsuki, and Tamaki were pressed close together with excited looks on their faces. Sougo peered over their heads, smiling at their enthusiasm. “It's pretty fascinating how a few changes can alter the whole feel of a website.”

“It indeed has a fresh look to it,” Iori agreed. “And the image of Kinako on the sidebar is cu—” Iori paused and cleared his throat, “fitting for the group's image.”

Although Yamato hadn't moved any closer from his own seat, he snickered. When Iori sent him a scathing glance, he looked the other way as if he hadn't done anything.

Tsumugi was either oblivious to or pretended not to notice the small conflict. “Kinako is the company mascot, after all!”

Elsewhere in the building, Kinako chirped an excited “Myuu, myuu!” Otoharu chuckled and patted the cheerful bunny on the head.

A Rabbit Chat notification sounded from Tamaki's phone, causing him to grumble and make a face—it had messed up his concentration on the game he had been playing. He tossed the phone onto the table and sunk deeper into the couch with a huff. He tilted his head back to stare at the white abyss that was the ceiling. The fluorescent lights made spots dance in his vision whenever he blinked. “Hey, Ban-chan,” he called, while still spacing out at the ceiling.

“Hmm?” Banri snapped out of the daze he had been in from staring at the information Tsumugi had brought up on her laptop. “What is it, Tamaki-kun?”

“Do you wanna be “Banrin,” like Momorin and Yukirin?”

“No. You don't need to change it.” In that single moment, Banri's flat tone of voice and unimpressed expression reminded Tamaki of Iori.

“Hmm? This is the first time I've heard Tama offer to change a nickname,” Yamato commented.

Iori's face was a mirror image of what Banri's had been a moment ago. “As long as we are on this subject, could you make an effort to call me something more normal?”

“It's ‘cause he used to be Re:vale. I thought it'd be fun to match. And Iorin is Iorin,” Tamaki explained while ignoring the annoyed look he got from Iori.

Banri gave Tamaki a small smile and walked over to ruffle his hair. “Thank you, Tamaki-kun. But I'm happy with the way things are now. Even if I used to be a part of Re:vale, it belongs to Momo-kun and Yuki now. I'm proud to call myself their fan.”

“Mmkay,” Tamaki responded simply.

The room gradually filled with a few simultaneous conversations about each member's individual page. Since Tamaki and Iori were students, they were prioritized first so that they had ample time for any homework later.

Riku ended up finishing around the same time as them, much to Iori's surprise. Given how excited Riku was about the whole thing, Iori expected their center to be one of the last to be done. Neither Iori nor Tamaki minded the company though, and the three of them left for the dorms together. They made small talk along the way.

“It wasn't even a boss monster!” Tamaki exclaimed. “It was a bunch of spellcasters that kept ganging up on my team. I didn't even have time to heal.”

Although Riku preferred books to video games, he had tried a little of the game Tamaki referred to. “That does sound annoying.”

“Right!? And the easier stage takes forever to farm enough event items for the good prizes.”

Iori rolled his eyes, having heard this exact same complaint during their lunch at school. He tried his best to tune it out. Tried.

Tamaki came up behind him and clung to the back of his blazer. Even though Tamaki was taller, he slouched down and managed to cause Iori to lean awkwardly. “Iorin, help me beat these things.”

With a deep sigh, Iori imagined his feelings of annoyance leaving him along with the air. It didn't quite work. “Why don't you ask Rokuya-san for advice later? He also plays that game.”

“Eeeh, but Nagicchi _kakins_ all the time so he has all the best gear. If I pay that much, I won't have money left over for snacks.”

Iori grimaced. “Rokuya-san should be more thoughtful about his spending habits.”

Much to Iori's relief, Tamaki finally released his hold on Iori's uniform in favor of crossing his hands behind his head. “Maybe everyone in Northmare is rich…”

Before anyone could comment on that, they were interrupted by a call of “Iori-kun!”

The three of them turned whirled around, momentarily panicking that a fan had recognized them, but their fears were unfounded when they saw Banri running towards them.

The relief in the sigh Banri made when he slowed to a stop in front of them was obvious. “I'm glad I was able to catch up to you.” He held out a small notebook to Iori. “You left this at the agency.”

Iori blanched. Reflexively, his hand shot up to his shirt pocket and felt the emptiness. Dumbfoundment was a rare expression for Iori, yet the wide eyes and parted lips were a clear indication of what he was feeling. He received the notebook with a polite “Thank you.”

Riku was peering over Iori's shoulder, trying to get a good look. “ _Iori_ forgot something? Even though you always give me a bad time when I do it?”

“He gets on my case too,” Tamaki agreed, “almost as much as Sou-chan.” Pouting, he made a grab for whatever it was.

Iori hurriedly pocketed the notebook out of sight from his nosey groupmates. “Don't suddenly touch someone's belongings without permission!” Before the exchange ended up as bickering, Iori turned towards Banri once more and bowed. “My apologies for making you go out of your way to return it.”

The smile that Banri gave in response was dazzling. “No, no, not at all! Yuki used to forget things all the time. Not a single one of you are any trouble in comparison.”

Tamaki bounced up and down on his toes. “I got praised!”

Banri chuckled fondly and pat Tamaki on the head. “You're all such good kids.”

Once they bid farewell for the second time that day, Iori stared at Banri's back as he jogged back to the agency and wondered what kind of person Yuki must have been for his friends to seem like saints in comparison. Certainly their senior idol was eccentric…but the same could be said for pretty much all of the members of IDOLiSH7 in one way or another.

“When I think about it,” Riku said as the three of them resumed their journey, “Banri-san being Yuki-san's old partner seems pretty obvious now.”

Whirling around to walk backwards so that he could face Riku, Tamaki nodded. “Yeah, Ban-chan's really cool.”

“Though it does make sense in retrospect, there's no way we could have known,” Iori said. “Yuki-san never once mentioned his former group member by name, after all. Besides that, due to the location of Oogami-san's injury, there was not any obvious disfigurement.”

“I guess so…” Riku agreed. “This must be what people mean when they say it's darkest underneath the lamp.”

Tamaki suddenly looked excited. “Do you think he still remembers how to dance to their old songs!?”

“I wanna see!” Riku exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

Iori huffed. “You can't just ask someone who hasn't been an idol for over five years to just dance on the spot.” Tamaki and Riku made identical noises of disappointment and Iori felt as if he had just kicked a puppy. He pretended to need to o clear his throat so that he didn't have to look either of them in the eyes. “What I mean to say is, in addition to being out of practice, it's not unthinkable to assume that Oogami-san may have some trauma regarding the accident. It would be unreasonable to ask that of him.”

The other two visibly deflated, clearly understanding the point Iori had made even though they were still a little disappointed.

“Though now that we're on this topic,” Iori trailed off with a hand raised to his chin in thought, “it's possible that he may still have some of their old music. It may be a bit brazen to ask, but it would certainly be a valuable point of reference for us to learn from.”

Excitement renewed, Riku and Tamaki vowed to ask Banri about it sometime. The three of them walked in comfortable silence for the next few minutes. Each with their own thoughts of the past, the present, and the future.

As they neared the dorms, Riku spoke. “Hey, Iori…”

Iori, who had pulled out his phone to check a message while walking, answered without looking up. “What is it?”

“If something happened to one of us, what would you do? I mean, if IDOLiSH7 had to find a new member, like Re:vale did.” There was a noticeable falter in the rhythm of the trio's footsteps, and Riku looked back to see that his unit partner had stopped walking. “Iori?”

Switching off his phone and returning it to his pocket, he spoke. “...I would not accept anyone else,” Iori said. “Not ever.”

Riku's eyebrows had shot up at the absolute conviction of those words while Tamaki looked uncomfortable. “Iorin, your face is kinda scary…”

“Aww, don't say that, Tamaki.” Riku said, despite the obvious gloom that had settled on Iori's face. “Iori can't help it. It's probably just his way of telling us that's how much he loves all of us!”

Tamaki blinked. “Is that right, Iorin?”

In an instant, the shadows plaguing Iori's eyes had dissipated. He made a strange noise and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. If he kept his eyes averted, maybe his face wouldn't feel so warm. “You can't even tell that much without me having to explain it?”

Two pairs of eyes stared at him in astonishment. They paused to look at each other, and then back to Iori with identical toothy grins. They lunged at him in the same instant.

“Iorin's totally honest!”

“Iori, that's so cute! We love you too!”

Now there was no way to stop Iori's face from becoming completely red. “You're the one who's…Yotsuba-san, don't hang off me like that! Nanase-san, your face is too close! It's stifling!”

“Ioriii—!”

“Iorin—!”

“Are either of you capable of listening when someone is talking to you!?”


End file.
